The manufacturing sector has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19. Already in decline prior to the pandemic, constraints to operations as the result of lockdowns, social distancing in the workplace, restrictions on transport and a complete change in consumer behaviour have all contributed to the disruption of the industry’s supply chain. The result being “a drop in production of 6.8 per cent in 2020.” From these statistics, it is clear to see that the global manufacturing industry is facing some serious challenges with productivity levels.

Key Factors Influencing Productivity Decline

According to research by Kronos, improving productivity and output is one of the key issues affecting the manufacturing workforce: “To compete in a global economy, manufacturers must improve output and productivity, to defend their business against local and foreign competition.”

So, what are the key factors influencing productivity decline? According to the HR executives questioned in the Kronos research study:

  • 73% of those surveyed cited the slow speed of manual systems as the reason for lower productivity;
  • 76% of respondents believe that productivity is suffering because of systems that do not integrate.

However, when frontline workers were asked to list the top opportunities for improving productivity the results were very different:

  • 67% of frontline workers surveyed said that better communication with management was a sure-fire way to boost productivity;
  • 64% of non-desk employees responded that more empowerment in their role would help improve productivity, along with addressing the perception that the company only cares about finances, not the employees.

These findings go a long way to highlighting an apparent disconnect between management and frontline workers. One conclusion to draw from this is that employees do not feel connected to or engaged with the organisations for which they work and management is not aligned with the sentiments of its employees.

How to Bridge the Gap

Digital transformation has been a buzz-phrase for some time in the industry. While it has been implemented in some areas in manufacturing, predominantly production, it has yet to be widely adopted to improve the overall individual employee experience. Introducing AI into work processes is all well and good, but when the person responsible for operating such tech is disinterested and disengaged then productivity suffers. It is, therefore, essential to ensure employee buy-in. What better way to do this than to provide a platform that gives them a sense of empowerment and connects them to the organisation via easily accessible technology, whilst also making their jobs easier.

That’s where Wyzetalk comes in. As a leading digital employee experience solution, Wyzetalk addresses the needs of both managers and employees in the following ways:

Manual Processes

  • Antiquated paper-based systems are inefficient and often ineffectual. The information must be transferred from paper to a central data repository, taking time and costing more money. Information gets misplaced, is reliant on being filtered through several parties and is subject to high levels of human error. By utilising Wyzetalk’s digital platform, information is entered digitally and can be shared across a variety of sites with various departments instantly.

Systems Integration

  • The Wyzetalk platform enables companies to integrate a variety of systems, reducing organisational complexity, enhancing operational efficiencies and making the work-lives of both manages and employees simpler and easier.

Better Communication with Management

  • Wyzetalk provides a two-way communication channel that can be used on both feature and smartphones, making it accessible to all frontline manufacturing workers, regardless of their mobile hardware. Management can share messages and communications about company issues and initiatives, boosting morale and providing vital information to all. Organisations can also solicit employee feedback through a variety of surveys to assess levels of employee engagement, the employee experience or organisational culture. Employees can also submit their ideas for process or business improvements and provide general feedback.

Empowerment

  • By putting vital information in the palms of frontline factory workers enables employees to take control of their own performance targets and progress towards achieving them. For example, the productivity dashboards enable employees to view their production targets whilst safety dashboards help employees track their team’s performance against safety targets.

Conclusion

Investing in the day-to-day employee experiences, organisations in the manufacturing industry can improve operational efficiency and boost in productivity.

To find out more about how the Wyzetalk solution can help your manufacturing business, talk to one of our experts.